Irrigation  is the artificial application of water to land for the purpose of  agricultural production. Effective irrigation will influence the entire  growth process from seedbed preparation, germination, root growth,  nutrient utilisation, plant growth and regrowth, yield and quality.

The  key to maximising irrigation efforts is uniformity. The producer has a  lot of control over how much water to supply and when to apply it but  the irrigation system determines uniformity. Deciding which irrigation  systems is best for your operation requires a knowledge of equipment,  system design, plant species, growth stage, root structure, soil  composition, and land formation. Irrigation systems should encourage  plant growth while minimising salt imbalances, leaf burns, soil erosion,  and water loss. Losses of water will occur due to evaporation, wind  drift, run-off and water (and nutrients) sinking deep below the root  zone.

Proper irrigation management takes careful consideration and vigilant observation.

Irrigation allows primary producers,

• to grow more pastures and crops
• to  have more flexibility in their systems/operations as the ability to  access water at times when it would otherwise be hard to achieve good  plant growth (due to a deficit in soil moisture) is imperative.  Producers can then achieve higher yields and meet market/seasonal  demands especially if rainfall events do no occur.
• to produce higher quality crops/pastures as water stress can dramatically impact on the quality of farm produce
• to lengthen the growing season (or in starting the season at an earlier time)
• to have 'insurance' against seasonal variability and drought.
• to  stock more animals per hectare and practice tighter grazing management  due to the reliability of pasture supply throughout the season
• to  maximise benefits of fertiliser applications. Fertilisers need to be  'watered into' the ground in order to best facilitate plant growth.
• to  use areas that would otherwise be 'less productive'. Irrigation can  allow farmers to open up areas of their farms where it would otherwise  be 'too dry' to grow pasture/crops. This also gives them the capability  to carry more stock or to conserve more feed.
• to take advantage of market incentives for unseasonal production
• to  have less reliance on supplementary feeding (grain, hay) in grazing  operations due to the more consistent supply & quality of pastures  grown under irrigation
• to improve the capital value of their  property. Since irrigated land can potentially support higher crops,  pasture and animal production, it is considered more valuable. The value  of the property is also related to the water licensing agreements or  'water right'.
• to cost save/obtain greater returns. The cost  benefits from the more effective use of fertilisers and greater  financial benefits as a result of more effective agricultural  productivity (both quality and quantity) and for 'out of season'  production are likely.